The latest energy news from The Texas Tribune.
Thousands of oil wells sit abandoned in Texas, and with oil and gas on the rise again, another generation of defunct wells may appear if the boom subsides. Dave Fehling of KUHF News reports for StateImpact Texas on the risks and costs associated with so-called orphan wells. Full Story
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The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association could be raising premium rates soon — and for the time first, adjusting policyholder premiums depending on the likelihood of severe storm damage or hurricanes in specific areas. Full Story
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Today marks the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon accident, which spilled millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Terrence Henry of KUT News reports for StateImpact Texas on the continuing recovery efforts in the Gulf and the work that remains. Full Story
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In the final installment of a series on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, Mose Buchele of StateImpact Texas, in partnership with StateImpact Oklahoma, reports on what happens when laws favoring landowners come into conflict with pipeline companies granted the power to seize land. Full Story
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After a wildfire in September burned 96 percent of Bastrop State Park, the park is beginning to recover, and this month parts of the park opened for the first time since January. Full Story
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Less than a year after a wildfire burned 96 percent of Bastrop State Park’s 6,613 acres, the park is bouncing back. Here's a photographic trip through the park, where camping areas and hiking trails having recently reopened. Full Story
Less than a year after a wildfire burned 96 percent of Bastrop State Park’s 6,613 acres, the park is bouncing back. Here's a photographic trip through the park, where camping areas and hiking trails having recently reopened. Full Story
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The former chairman of the Public Utility Commission, a Port Arthur native, discusses the reasons behind the long-term power crunch in Texas, his role in the wind boom and the future of solar power. Full Story
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In part three of a four-part series on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, Terrence Henry of StateImpact Texas, in partnership with StateImpact Oklahoma, reports on the fight over property rights, which has spurred some Texas landowners to take the company building the pipeline to court. Full Story
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In part two of a four-part series on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, Dave Fehling of StateImpact Texas, in partnership with StateImpact Oklahoma, reports on the fight over the risks of crude oil, which supporters of the pipeline say presents no unique threat. Full Story
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In part one of a four-part series on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, Logan Layden of StateImpact Oklahoma, in partnership with StateImpact Texas, reports from the tip of the pipeline’s southern leg, where tens of millions of barrels of oil are waiting to make their way to Texas refineries. Full Story
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This interactive breaks down the costs of the lawsuits that Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has brought against the federal government. Full Story
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The Keystone XL Pipeline, and whether it will be built to bring oil from Canada to the Texas coast, has been a hot topic. This week on KUT News and the Trib, we'll have a series on the pipeline and unresolved issues surrounding it. Full Story
Recent rains have improved drought conditions in Central and East Texas, but rural West Texas continues to struggle. Mose Buchele of KUT News reports for StateImpact Texas on what happens when cities see rain while rural lands continue to suffer. Full Story
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Texas is one of the nation's only producers of uranium, and mining companies are gearing up for expansion. That's causing concern among environmental groups, some of which have been battling uranium mining for decades. Full Story
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Aaronson maps Medicaid patients' access to pharmacies, Aguilar on Mexicans in exile, Batheja on an unlikely threat to a veteran lawmaker's re-election, Galbraith and Murphy interactively track reservoir levels around the state, Grissom on the ringleaders who rule the state's largest youth lockup, Hamilton on how much Texas professors are paid, Ramsey on who's conservative, Ramshaw and Tan on the latest Planned Parenthood kerfuffle, Root on what Santorum's exit means for the Texas primary, and parts 4 (by M. Smith) and 5 (by Tan and Dehn) of our series on school district closures: The best of our best content from April 9-13, 2012. Full Story
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The Environmental Protection Agency is rolling out a rule aimed at improving air quality above national parks like Big Bend by focusing on big industrial plants. Full Story
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The historic Texas drought caused statewide worries over potential water shortages when reservoir levels fell dramatically. Our interactive data app allows you to check the current status of the state's reservoirs. Full Story
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The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will vote Wednesday on whether to prohibit state agencies from participating in contested case hearings on permits and licenses issued by the commission. Full Story
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With the drought receding, at least temporarily, some scientists have turned their focus to the state's waterways, where mussels have been disappearing. KUHF News' Dave Fehling reports for StateImpact Texas on the future of the organism that some consider a biological indicator of the health of the state's water system. Full Story
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